


Howl

by hotbodty



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Korrasami - Freeform, Werewolf Hunting, Werewolves, shifting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-16
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-04-15 00:04:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4585317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hotbodty/pseuds/hotbodty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Asami has trained almost her entire life to hunt Shifters, wishing to avenge her mother's death at the hands of the beasts. However, a chance encounter with a special Shifter on her first hunt turns Asami's world upside down. The other side to the story is told, certain discoveries are made, and Asami can't tell up from down anymore.<br/>Asami promised her mother vengeance, but can she really come to kill the people that are not as cruel as she once saw them to be?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic don't bite. Unbeta'd af.

_Okay Sato, time to calm down._

_Asami inhaled slowly through her nose, holding it for a second then letting it out through her mouth. She watched as it condensed, flowing a little to the left with the small breeze that passed through the forest._

_Asami looked around, taking in her surroundings. The small group of hunters that her father handpicked to go with them stood behind her, scattered in the clearing. Thick snow fell around them, catching in their eyelashes and making the snow even harder to trudge through. The full moon covered the ground and trees in a light that made it look ethereal and cold at the same time._

_The woman narrowed her eyes. The moon. She glared at it as if it had personally offended her. She was unsure of whether to be dreadful, ecstatic, anxious or downright terrified at the moment._

_Tonight was the night of the full moon. The night when the dark brown skin of Shifters turned into fur and half-man half-wolves howled into the night._

_Tonight was the night of Asami's first hunt._

_Footsteps sounded behind her, and Asami turned to see who was approaching her. Her father, Hiroshi, stopped next to his daughter, an intensity and fire in his eyes like she had never seen before._

_"Asami," He started, placing a hand on her shoulder. " You have been training for this moment for a long time."_

_"Only since I was six." She added lightly. Her father still stared at her with that intense look. No mixing humor with a night like this._

_"With your extensive training I expect nothing but the best from you. Tonight, you will have your first wolfskin." He declared, determination laced with his words. Asami nodded solemnly, shouldering her crossbow. She glanced over to Mako, who was polishing his revolver for the umpteenth time. "Mako!" She called. "Are we ready?"_

_Mako tucked the silver gun into his holster, turning around to address the other men. "Hunters!" He barked, catching everyone's attention. "We leave at Asami's order. Get ready!"_

_Asami looked at her father one more time. Hiroshi stared at her with an unidentifiable expression, his hand still on her shoulder. He pulled his daughter into a hug, which she tensed at. She slowly wrapped her arms around him, returning the rare gesture. He pulled back, his eyes now brimming with tears. His voice was raw with emotion, and he asked;_

_"For your mother?"_

_Asami closed her eyes, inhaling softly._

_"For mother."_

*******************************************************

Asami inhaled sharply, white hot and searing pain bursting through her shoulder. She bit her lip, stifling the groan that tried to escaped her. She rolled onto her good side, knocking her head against a cold, hard surface.

Asami blinked, her vision swimming. Since when was her bed this close to a wall?

She opened her eyes, adjusting to the darkness of her room.

Asami frowned. She wasn't in her room. She lay down on a small cot, surrounded by three stone walls and an iron one. The room was unfurnished, save for the cot she was on.

Asami paled. She was most certainly not in her room. She was in a cell.

The huntress swung her legs off the bed, her head spinning. Her hands flew to her hips, hoping to find her gun and dagger. They weren't there.

Asami cursed, standing on her bare feet. She walked over to the iron bars, one arm clutching the other as she gritted her teeth against the pain that shot through her shoulder. Asami heard laughter, faint but distinct, followed by a rough sounding language she couldn't understand. Heavy footfalls were heard, fading away with every second.

But there was one pair of footsteps that seemed to get louder and louder, until a tan female stood in front of Asami's cell.

The girl could not have been more than Asami's age, wrapped in thick brown furs with white trimmings. She had chestnut brown hair that was a cut above her shoulders, and beautiful brown skin to match. But what caught Asami's attention was the girl's eyes; they were bright cyan orbs like Asami had never seen before. The girl spoke, her voice rough and accent thickened but her words unmistakable.

"You're awake."

Asami tensed, fear seeping into her pores. How could this woman speak her language and a language Asami had never heard before? Where was she? Asami could've sworn Mako had picked her up before she passed out.

Asami looked back at the woman, who was still staring at her with those too bright eyes. She croaked. "Who are you?"

The woman smiled, baring larger than usual canines that shone in the light of the torch mounted on the outside wall.

"I'm a Shifter, and welcome to the Prison Dens."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried my best to give this to you as soon as possible, because some of you asked so nicely. And just so you guys don't get confused, the parts in italics are events that happened in the past. The non-italicized stuff is present going-ons. They can go back as far as the previous week, or ten years ago. Anyways, enjoy the new chap!

_With each labored breath Asami took, a stiff step in the mid calf-high snow accompanied it. The snowstorm they had wandered into was getting harsher by the second, chilly wind biting her exposed ears and cheeks. She couldn't see more than fifteen feet in front of her._

_Asami gritted her teeth, sheer willpower driving her forward. She would be damned if she didn't find a Shifter before sunrise. She has to._

_"Asami." Mako called, his voice wavering. "The Shifters will find us dead if we stay in this storm." He warned._

_"Don't be a coward, Mako." She snapped. "The storm will pass. You've faced worse odds."_

_Mako was still uncertain. Truth be told,_ this _was the worst odds he had ever faced: stuck in a snowstorm with a person to protect as well as trying to find Shifters to kill was no easy feat. He would sooner turn around and head back to the mansion for a hot cup of jasmine tea, but Asami's decision was final. He had to stay and protect her._

_Asami scanned the trees in front of them methodically, light green eyes sweeping back and forth for any sign of movement. Asami knew that the snowstorm spelled disaster; it gave the Shifters an edge over them. But, despite the odds, there was a persuasive voice inside her head that told her to spill blood tonight. She listened to it,intent on fulfilling the command._

_Asami almost missed it: a pair of golden eyes that ducked behind a tree to her far right. She froze, holding a fist in the air to signal for her men to stop. Her heart was in her throat, and she was doing her best to steady her breaths. She glared at the tree, willing the creature to show itself again._

_Asami heard a soft thump to her left, along with a blood curdling scream. She whipped her head to the right, seeing one of her men under a freakishly large, dog-like creature. His forearm was caught in it's jaw, crimson liquid dribbling onto his chest._

_In less than a second Asami had fired her arrow at it, the silver head piercing it's shoulder instead of it's neck. It yelped, letting go of the man and retreating into the forests, a red trail running behind it. She rushed up to him, her eyes never leaving his arm. He clutched the limb so hard his knuckles turned white, shaking like a leaf in a strong breeze. He breathed heavily through gritted teeth, looking from Asami to his arm with desperation. One look at the mangled arm and she could tell his bones had been broken. Asami knelt down, helping the man to sit up. She reached over to grab his backpack, sifting through it to look for any piece of cloth to stop the flowing blood. She found a spare scarf, wrapping the blue material around his forearm._

_The Shifter was almost like a phantom: here one second then gone the next. She was furious at herself for missing the shot. The first Shifter they encounter hours after midnight and she let it get away._

_Asami stepped away, her breath misting in front of her face in large puffs. A hand landed on her shoulder. Mako looked worriedly at the wounded man, then cast the fuming woman a sidelong glance. "How hurt are you, Daw?"_

_Daw was mumbling incoherently, clutching his arm to his chest. Asami answered the question. "His arm is broken." She muttered, bitterness in her words. What was she going to do now?_

_Asami looked at the rest of the hunters. They were checking the surrounding areas to make sure that this was a lone wolf attacking and not a pack. There were ten people in the group in total, nine if counting able-bodied people. Daw would have to get back as soon as possible, and that meant sacrificing men to escort him back._

_The snowstorm began to subside, and Asami could see farther in front of her now. She looked at the trail of blood leading into the forest._

_This was her chance. It was now or never._

_"Kai, Tanho!" Asami pointed at Daw. "Get him back to the mansion." She reloaded her crossbow, new hope rising up at the sight of the blood trail. "Everyone else, follow me." Asami started down the trail, eager to find her prey. "That Shifter couldn't have gotten far."_

_Maybe she would get her wolfskin before sunrise._

****************************************************

Asami's knees felt weak, her vision dark around the edges. The ground felt unsteady underneath her feet, her empty stomach churning. She was locked up in a cage without her weapons, a _Shifter_ right in front of her.

And _she couldn't kill it_.

Asami grabbed the iron bars, her legs waning. She felt like she wanted to pass out, fatigue overcoming her. This couldn't be happening. It was supposed to be the other way around. Asami should be the one standing outside the cell, if she would even keep the Shifter alive.

"Be careful," The woman warned. "you lost a lot of blood fighting us." A warm, calloused hand fell on her own, almost comfortingly.

Asami recoiled from the touch as if burned, collapsing on her rear and scrambling on all fours to get away from the Shifter. She was scared, there was no denying it. Asami was convinced that soon enough, they would open the door and do terrible things to her, just like her father warned her. Her fearful mind was already conjuring up scenarios of her arm being torn off, or her leg being bitten into.

"Relax." The Shifter held up her hands in a placating gesture. "I won't hurt you." Asami wanted to believe that; she really did. It almost sounded genuine. Is a Shifter even capable of kindness? It was such a good lie that if she were a different person, she may have believed it. But she wasn't another person; she was Asami Sato, daughter of the Greatest Hunter in Republic City. She sees through every lie that Shifters could tell.

Cold stone pressed against Asami's back, causing her to wince. The woman moved to a table that Asami hadn't seen before. All her gear was on it: her overcoat, crossbow, boots, revolver and dagger, even her silver necklace. Asami felt a little violated, reaching up to the spot where her necklace once was. Despite being fully clothed, Asami felt so naked without it.

The Shifter was rifling through a box of some kind, humming a tune Asami had never heard before. She turned around, holding a wooden cup in one hand and the box in the other. She looked somewhere to the right, talking to another person that Asami couldn't see. The unknown person came into view, twirling a pair of keys and heading straight for her cell door.

Asami tensed. They were coming into her cell.

The woman nodded to the guard, stepping in and letting him lock it behind her. Asami was close to hyperventilating. She was now alone in a room with a Shifter, unarmed and unable to fight it.

"This is to help with the pain." The Shifter lifted the cup, swirling around the liquid in it. "This is for the claw marks on your shoulder." She lifted the box.

Asami couldn't believe her ears. The Shifter was... trying to help her? It wasn't doing anything bad to her since it stepped in. Her father would never lie to her like this: all Shifters were supposed to be savage and untamed. Asami was witnessing none of this so far.

The woman began walking towards her, taking slow, deliberate steps. Every one of Asami's instincts were yelling at her to do something, but fear had taken a hold of her, paralyzing her; and it was reluctant to let go.

The woman kneeled in front of her, holding out the cup for Asami to take. The Hunter's eyes shifted from the cup to the woman nervously, before she took it with shaking hands. Asami would have dropped it if the Shifter hadn't laid a hand over hers to steady the trembling. She brought the cup to her nose, smelling the contents. It smelled like something rancid. Asami looked at the woman unsurely, but the woman just nudged it closer to her lips. Asami took a small sip, almost gagging from how horrible it tasted. The Shifter spoke. "Drink all. This will help."

Asami was unwilling to anger the woman by rejecting the drink, so she tried her best to take it all in one go. Asami grimaced, dropping the empty cup at her side. The Shifter hummed in approval, standing up and reaching out a hand. "Stand up." She instructed. Asami grabbed the offered hand, pulling herself to her feet.

Asami was confused. So, so confused. She never thought she would ever get this close to an unshackled Shifter without having to stab it or shoot it. What was even more bizarre was that it was helping her.

The Shifter seated Asami on the edge of the cot, and took a seat behind her. She tugged at Asami's jacket, trying to find a way to take it off. Asami began unbuttoning it, trying her best not to jostle the wound. The Shifter did her best to help take it off, holding the sleeves so Asami could slip her arms out of it. Next came the undershirt. Asami winced as she pulled it over her head, her shoulder protesting even as she discarded the article of clothing somewhere on the ground. She was left in her bra and pants as the woman inspected her shoulder.

Asami shivered, and realized two things: how cold the room was and how much heat the Shifter radiated. She would have shifted closer to her, but Asami's pride wouldn't allow it.

The Shifter hummed thoughtfully, opening the box of supplies. The cut was deep, but not deep enough to warrant stitches. She pulled out a bottle of salve, dipping her fingers into it and taking out a generous amount. She hovered it over the wound, before warning her. "This will sting a little."

"Little" was a bit of an understatement. Asami almost shouted a profanity at how much it stung, biting her lip just in time to stop it. She struggled not to pull her shoulder away, her finger nails making crescent marks on her palms.

Once the Shifter was satisfied, she wiped off the remaining salve, pulling out some fresh gauze and medical tape from the box.

Wait-medical tape? How did a Shifter get their hands on those?

Asami turned her head to look at the woman with one eye. "How did you get these?" She asked.

The Shifter shrugged, replying nonchalantly. "Some people from the City visit us from time to time, and they bring these things."

Asami narrowed her eyes. Who would be brave or stupid enough to trade supplies with Shifters?

"Who are they?"

The Shifter stopped working on Asami's arm, cyan eyes peering at her. "I can't say. They must tell you that."

Asami sighed. Of course the Shifter wouldn't tell her. Activities like that were treason. Asami needed to find out who it was.

The Shifter leaned back to admire her handiwork. The claw marks were now neatly covered in gauze and secured by tape. She looked to the clothing on the floor. The blood it soaked up was dry, the right shoulder on each torn open. They were useless now. She would need a new shirt.

Asami shivered involuntarily, rubbing her bare arms for some semblance of warmth. The Shifter chewed her bottom lip, thinking.

Asami heard the rustling of fabric behind her, and she turned around. The Shifter was taking off her jacket, the thick material falling off her broad shoulders and gliding down her lithe arms.

Asami openly stared. She presumed that the woman's arms looked so thick because of the jacket. Asami couldn't be more wrong.

The Shifter held out the jacket to Asami. "Here, wear this. You look cold."

Asami blinked, slowly and owlishly, before stuttering. "N-no, I have my own jacket to wear, I'm fi-"

"Wear it." She insisted, pushing it closer to Asami. "Yours is dirty, so wear this."

Asami mumbled a small "Thank you", taking the jacket. Honestly, she didn't understand the Shifter's concern; her clothes were fine. She looked at them.

The Hunter blanched at the sight. So much of her blood covered the clothing, someone could easily mistake it for a large part of the cloth being dipped in red dye.

The Shifter bent down to pick up the jacket and undershirt. She looked at Asami, asking. "Can I throw these away?"

Asami was reluctant to part with them, but they served no practical purpose anymore. Both were torn, irreparably so. Still, that was Asami's good luck jacket. She frowned, but still nodded.

The Shifter grabbed the clothes and stood, and Asami stood with her, donning the fur jacket. It was soft to the touch and slightly baggy, as well as a little too short at the cuffs. It held the Shifter's warmth well enough. Asami also noted she was half a head taller than the other woman, and much slimmer. Asami was doubtful the woman was fat; in fact, she thought quite the opposite. She could only imagine what the Shifter's other muscles looked like, if her arms were anything to go by.

The Shifter looked expectantly at Asami, a question on her lips. Asami beat her to the punch, asking. "Where's the rest of my group?"

"They are in cells just like yours." She answered, walking to the cell door. Asami frowned, about to ask another question, but the Shifter interrupted her. "All of them are awake and being treated well, so no need to worry about them." The guard outside shuffled into view, unlocking the iron bars and swinging it open for the woman to step out of.

"Am I staying in this?" Asami gestured to the jacket she wore.

"Only if you want to. I can bring you different ones the next time I visit." She responded, picking up something from the table and pushing it into a pocket on her pants.

"What's going to happen to me now?" Asami asked unsurely.

"That," The Shifter leaned against the table, placing her palms on the flat surface behind her. "is for the Chief to decide."

Asami swallowed. She didn't like the idea of Shifters deciding what to do with her.

"Most likely, nothing bad will happen to you and your group." She assured. "We won't punish you like you punish us." Her voice held a hint of bitterness in it. "We are not that cruel."

Asami looked away from the Shifter, almost feeling guilty.

"Can I ask you a question now?" The Shifter queried, tilting her head to the side.

Asami looked at her through the corner of her eye.

"What is your name?"

Asami worried her bottom lip between her teeth, not wanting to answer. What if they found out she was Hiroshi's daughter? What would happen to her then?

"...Asami." She replied, rubbing her arms. She hoped the Shifter was satisfied with that.

The Shifter nodded slowly, pushing herself off the table. "I'm Korra." She stated. "I need to leave. I will see you tomorrow, Asami." She walked out of sight, footsteps echoing through the hall.

Just like that, Asami was alone with her thoughts again.

Asami collapsed face first onto the cot, her head hitting the lumpy pillow. In less than twenty minutes, a Shifter had disproved almost all her father's ideas of Shifters. But not all of them would be as nice as this “Korra”, Asami just knew it.

She would get hurt by them, just like every other person Asami knew that encountered a Shifter.

What mess did she get herself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't even have a plot for this story. I apologize for any spelling errors. I'll check this over in the morning. Tell me what you thought about this chapter in the comments(srsly I live for those stuff). Don't forget to give this fic a kudos!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After five days and a lot of procrastinating, I present to you chapter three!  
> And just to be crystal clear, I really have no clue what i'm doing. I just posted this on an impulse and now i'm winging it. And you guys are apparently enjoying it.  
> Enough of my rambling. Go on and enjoy this chap! And DON'T forget to leave a comment on what you guys think! I love a good chat!

_Asami was breathing hard and fast, lungs and legs burning as she pushed through the snow with determination. The trail of blood led them from the far left and right, up a small hill and down into a valley. She knew that it was struggling to make its way; its footprints ranged from narrow, deep steps in the snow to broad paths of which it dragged its body through. The silver headed arrow was doing its job, Asami noted._

_The group stumbled into a clearing by a river that was frozen over. The ice reflected the moon's light so brightly, that if looked at from the wrong angle, it would blind you. The dragging tracks led to the Shifter she shot, collapsed on the ground and taking ragged breaths. Its hazelnut coat was marred with a crimson spot on its foreleg, the arrow protruding_   _form its muscle. Asami smiled._

_She jogged up to the animal, pulling her crossbow from its place on her back. She knelt in the snow roughly five feet away, admiring the way the glossy coat shone in the light. It growled weakly, eyeing Asami with fear._

_Asami was full on grinning now. After hours spent in this godawful terrain and weather and also incapacitating one of her men, she finally had it. She had her first Shifter right where she wanted it._

_Asami stood triumphantly, a glint in her eye that was almost maniacal. She aimed the crossbow at one of its pleading eyes, imagining all the ways she could use the pelt. It could hang in her study as a trophy, or maybe lay on the ground as a rug, or just maybe-_

_"Asami!"_

_It was all the warning she got, before the world went sideways as a powerful weight slammed into her side. She hit the snow with a thud, and something large cast a shadow over her._

_That something stared at Asami with ocean blue eyes that held fury like Asami had only seen once before in her lifetime. Yellow stained fangs the length of Asami's palm and fingers dripped saliva onto her coat as they bared at her. Its growl reverberated in the air, drowning out even her own rapid heartbeat._

_Time seemed frozen as fear and adrenaline merged with every fiber of Asami's being._

_Her hand lunged for her dagger, just as it lunged for her face. Playing out in what seemed like slow motion, its mouth opened wide, mere inches from her face. An arrow whizzed out of nowhere, slamming into its cheek with a spray of blood. Asami's hand closed around the hilt of her dagger, and she pulled it out, slashing blindly at the beast in a wide arc._

_The beast jumped off, shaking its maw wildly to dislodge the arrow, a spray of blood erupting in a line from its chest. Time resumed its normal speed, and Asami released a breath she didn't know she was holding. She rose to her feet, looking for her men. They were all caught up in their own fights, letting out screams and battle cries that Asami hadn't heard before. Three other Shifters were in the clearing, swiping and biting at any Hunters they could reach. Mako fired an arrow at one of them, before turning to Asami-no- looking somewhere behind her, and yelling, "Behind you!"_

_Asami spun around, clutching her dagger, only to be spun around again by a slashing claw, the sound of ripping fabric filled her ears. She collapsed face first into the snow, fiery pain blossoming in her shoulder and a warm liquid filling the inside of her coat._

_Asami pushed off the snow, dagger still in hand. Something grabbed on to the collar of her coat, hauling her off her feet and into the air. She dangled precariously in the air, screaming, then slipping out of it and falling to the ground once more._

_Asami spun around, ready to face the Shifter again. She gasped, realizing that this wasn't the same Shifter she faced before. This one was more than twice the size, and its fur was pure white; almost whiter than the snow they fought in. It had eyes that seemed to glow in the light of the moon, her coat hanging between its jaws. It let go of the coat, pristine fangs shining as it bared them._

   _The Shifter lunged, faster than expected for its size, lashing out at the hand that held Asami's dagger. She avoided the paw with less than an inch to spare. Asami's other hand went to her revolver, whipping it out and aiming at the beast's head. Its jaw closed around the barrel and chamber, wringing it out of Asami's hand and tossing it to the ground before she could pull the trigger._

_Asami swore, backing up a few steps and adopting a proper stance. Her crossbow lay somewhere behind her, half hidden in the snow, and her revolver was a couple of steps away, but an animal as tall as her chest was preventing her from reaching it. She was stuck with trying to fight it with nothing more than a small, sharp piece of silver._

_The gods weren't favoring her anymore; she had to make her own luck now._

_The beast lunged, snapping at Asami's wrist. She narrowly avoided the attack, retaliating with a slash to its snout. She barely skimmed a whisker, before another Shifter grabbed her at the collar and flung her back._

_What was it with these creatures and biting her jacket!?!_

   _Asami's back was on the snow again, and she stood one more time, wavering uncertainly. The fresh wound on her shoulder wasn't doing her any favors. It gushed freely over her back from all her movements, sticky and warm._

_In that moment, the smaller Shifter rammed into her front with the force of a bulldozer, her head hitting a tree she didn't know she got too close to. Asami cried out, sparks flying behind her eyes before the world went black for a few seconds._

_Asami gasped, unyielding and unrelenting pain assaulting her muddled brain. Her eyesight was fuzzy, and her ears were ringing._

_Gunshots sounded, loud and still unclear. A person approached her, positioning Asami's unresponsive body to sling over its shoulders._

_Asami's eyes slid shut, and she gave in to the inviting embrace of unconsciousness._

_****************************************************_

Korra walked past Dai, turning slightly to speak to him. "'I trust that you can keep an eye on all the cells?'"

  Dai nodded, standing a little straighter. "'I will do my best, Korra.'"

  Korra smiled, his response satisfactory. "'Let me see if any of the other Hunters are up.'"

  Korra walked past a few cells housing sleeping humans, until she came to one holding a spiky haired, amber eyed man, who was sitting up on his cot. One of his hands was splayed across his chest where he had been scraped, his eyebrows knitted together. Korra stood just outside of the cell. "I can still help you." She offered.

  Korra could hear his harsh breathing from where she was standing. "Go fuck yourself." He spat.

  Korra frowned, confused. That was the one word Master refused to explain to her, no matter how much she insisted. His bare head would turn red, and he would sputter that she didn't need to know that.

  Well now she had a proper excuse to find out the meaning of it, at least.

  "This was your choice." She shrugged. She continued walking down the hallway, feeling his eyes on her back the entire time. She pushed open the wooden door of the cave, the cold winter air chilling her exposed arms. She shivered, regretting the choice to give the human female her jacket.

   _You will survive._ She scolded herself mentally. That Asami person had only the skin on her back and that weird contraption on her chest to keep her warm. She needed it more than Korra.

  The morning sun was now halfway over the horizon, casting long shadows across the ground. It warmed her face, cutting through a small amount of the cold biting her cheeks. She continued on her way to her hut, passing several others on her way.

  "Korra!" Someone called. It was a young female's voice. She turned, seeing Jinora approaching her.

  "You're back!" She wrapped her arms around Korra's mid section, Korra returning the embrace with one arm.

  "In one piece." She boasted, slinging the human's clothes over a shoulder. 

  Jinora looked curiously at the fabric, asking "Why do you have one of the prisoners clothes? And where is your own?"

  Korra replied. "This one is blood soaked and torn. The female Hunter was the only one up that would take my care. And I gave her mine because she looked cold."

  "Chivalrous." The shorter girl drawled. She frowned at the clothes. "Can I see it?"

  "Why would you want to see this?" Korra queried, tossing her the fabric. Someone else was approaching them out of the corner of her eyes.

  Iroh stopped next to both of them, greeting. "Good morning Korra, Jinora."

  "Hello, Iroh." Korra greeted, turning  towards the Westerner. His beard was still getting larger by the day, his shoulders covered in clothes from the City. Jinora smiled at him in greeting. 

  "Anything interesting about your new prisoners?" He inquired, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

  "I helped the female with her wounds, and the only other person who is up told me to go fuck myself." She looked inquisitively at Iroh. "How am I supposed to do that?"

  Both him and Jinora doubled over in laughter, Iroh wheezing. He looked at Jinora incredulously, asking between breaths. "How old are you again?"

  "Old enough to understand." She cackled. 

  Korra pouted, still confused. "What does it mean?" 

  Iroh stood straight again, the wild grin slipping into a pleased smile. "Let's talk and walk, shall we?"

  "Iroh, wait."Jinora's voice held a waver in it, unlike the previous second. Iroh turned to face her, frowning.

  Jinora clutched the collar of the jacket between her white knuckles, her face pale. She stiffly shoved the jacket at his chest. "I need to go tell dad." With that, the girl ran off, leaving Korra and Iroh to look at the jacket.

  Iroh arched an eyebrow, and Korra shrugged, not understanding the sudden shift between laughter and fear.

  Iroh held up the jacket to inspect the collar. The colour in his cheeks drained, his jaw dropping. He let go of the clothes, opting to grab Korra by the arms.

  "What is her first name Korra!?!" He snaped, a desperation in his eyes. 

  "Iroh, I don-"

  "Tell me her first name Korra!" He yelled, the vice-like grip on her arms increasing. 

  Korra was beyond confused now. "Asami! Why do you want to know so badly?" 

  Iroh was taking ragged breaths as the words sank in. He let go of Korra, sprinting towards the Prisons.

  "Iroh!" She called, to no avail. She looked at the dropped jacket, kneeling and picking it up.

  On the collar, four letters were neatly sewn in by hand, Korra's blood running cold at the one word it formed.

  Sato. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure just about every one of you guys lost faith in this fic ever updating again.   
> But alas, I am back! It was never my intention to take THIS long to finish chapter 4, it's just that school had started back and I had another fic to prioritize over this one and blah blah blah you get the gist. 
> 
> Hold up WARNING: there's a chunk of the second half that describes torture devices and their uses, so if that's not your thing PLEASE don't read it. 
> 
> Also worth noting, everything in extra quotes is speech in the tribe's language. Thank my beta rugsrat for this chapter. It wouldn't have been half as good without her.   
> Without further ado, I bring to you the longest chapter yet. Enjoy!

_Asami took a small sip from her jasmine tea. She relished the way the sweet liquid glided past her cold lips and settled in her stomach. She sighed, settling further back into her seat. The fireplace close to her feet roared and crackled, heating her freezing fingers and toes. It also cast a hazy orange light on the walls, making the study seem soft and inviting. Mako sipped on his own cup of tea as he sat opposite her, inhaling the aroma of his drink before bringing it to his lips. He looked at Asami, who was already peering at him. He spoke. "You almost broke my record today."_

_Asami scoffed. "Almost? I was half a second away from beating it." She leaned forward in her seat, tilting her head to the side. "What about you, Mako? You missed a shot today. You never miss your mark."_

_Mako scowled, a signature look. He pouted. "The sights got thrown off by the new reloading system your dad made."_

_Asami shook her head, disapproving of Mako's excuse. "The sights are fine. The new reloading system isn't affecting it in any way." Asami smirked, a certain thought crossing her mind. "You're losing your touch, aren't you?"_

_Mako sputtered, disbelieving and a little hurt that Asami would even suggest such a thing. He whined. "I am not losing my touch!"_

_Asami threw her head back in laughter, grinning at his whining. "I told you natural talent only goes so far! You need to start practicing more often."_

_Mako grumbled under his breath, slouching in his seat. Asami chuckled one last time before settling in her seat, letting comfortable silence fill the room._

_A knock sounded at the door, and Asami turned her head to look. Mako was already on his feet, cracking the door open to look at a servant with graying hair and a balding head._

_"Good evening, Master Mako, Miss Sato." He bowed. "Mr. Sato requests your presence at his study, Miss Sato."_

_Mako turned back to Asami, an eyebrow raised. What would her father want now?_

_Asami stood, reluctantly, placing her cup on her table and standing. Her father’s timing was terrible when it came to giving her a few moments to get rid of the chill from the trip to the fields she just made. "Alright then." She walked to the door, and Mako opened it wider for her._

_The three headed to her father's study, Asami pondering what her father wanted from her. She hoped it wasn't for another gala she wasn't needed at, despite his insistence that she was. She had enough of socializing with the upper class citizens last week to last her the rest of the month. Maybe he wanted her to oversee the design of the new sleep dart gun. Asami hoped it was the latter._

_They reached large wooden doors covered in intricate carvings. The  doors to Hiroshi's study. The servant stepped in front of her, opening a door for her. She nodded at him, stepping into the room, Mako trailing right behind her. A hand shot out in front of Mako, barring him from entering. He glared at the arm, then at its owner. "Just Miss Sato, sir." The servant's face remained the same under Mako's scrutiny._

_Asami turned to look at Mako, doing her best to placate him with an apologetic look. He huffed, relenting. He stepped back, allowing the servant to close the door._

_Asami spun on her heel to face her father, sunlight streaming in from the closed window behind him. He sat at the side of his desk that faced the door, a broad shouldered man opposite him. His back was facing Asami, and he had ebony hair slicked back with a little gel. He turned his head, and Asami's eyes met amber._

_What was Prince Iroh doing in her father's study?_

_Hiroshi flitted his gaze from the young man to his daughter. He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Asami. Just in time, have a seat."_

_Asami applied a small smile of her own, walking to the empty seat next to the younger man. "Good evening father, Prince Iroh." She sat down and faced the prince, who nodded in greeting. "What brings you to the Sato Mansion, Your Highness?"_

_Iroh tilted his head to the side, waving off the title with a hand. "Please Asami, just call me Iroh."_

_Asami nodded, a little unsettled at the first name basis. "Of course, Iroh." She showed no signs of uneasiness, though._

_Iroh smiled, and her father spoke. "The prince has accepted my offer to come to the mansion and get a little experience with some of the hunting weapons." Hiroshi looked at Asami with a quiet expectancy she's become familiar with. "I hope you don't mind showing the prince how to use the crossbow and revolver this evening at the range?"_

_Asami's eyes moved to the prince, who had an eyebrow raised, seemingly expectant of a pleasing answer. She looked back to her father._

_Outside, Asami nodded in agreement, her mouth moving on its own. "Of course I don't mind, father."_

_Inside, Asami groaned, already missing the evening spent in her own study. On a more serious note, Asami couldn't believe that her father's chat with Prince Iroh had proved fruitful. The prince was showing interest in learning how to hunt, just like Hiroshi had hoped. And now it was up to Asami to entertain his whims and fancies for the evening._

_How thrilling._

_Hiroshi leaned back in his leather chair, satisfied with his daughter's response. "Then you two should head on down. I've used enough of your daylight, Iroh." He turned his head from Iroh to Asami. "You should head down now."_

_The two rose, turning to walk out of the room. She could almost feel a smirk on her father's face as he watched his supposed plans falling into place. If Asami had worse self restraint, she would have turned around and glared at him for this set up._

_Asami walked through the door that Iroh held open for her, clenching and unclenching her fists. She thanked him, then turned to face Mako, who had stayed in the hallway. He leaned off the wall, a question on his lips.  His mouth remained open, it even dropped a little further as he saw who came out after her. He stood ramrod straight, his hands falling stiff at his sides as he spoke. "Prince Iroh, good evening. What brings you to the Sato estate?"_

_Iroh grinned at the nervousness, stepping forward and sticking a hand out. "You can just call me Iroh. Mr. Sato invited me here for some offered hunting training." His grin was amicable and inviting, much unlike what Mako had in mind for a royal's smile.  He shook his offered hand. "of course."_

_"And you're Mako, I presume?"_

_Mako was surprised. He pulled his hand back to his side. "Yes, that's my name Pr- uh, Iroh." Mako sealed his lips shut and cleared his throat._

_Iroh laughed, clapping a hand to the other man’s back. Iroh looked back to Asami. “Shall we?”_

_Asami took the lead, setting a brisk pace for Iroh and Mako to follow._

_Asami’s mind wandered back to the week prior as they headed to the range. Her father had introduced her to the prince at the gala Raiko had thrown for the visiting royals. Now that Asami thought about it, Hiroshi had spent a large portion of the night conversing with Iroh, no doubt telling him about the joys of hunting._

_Asami was still surprised that the prince took him up on the offer. She also recalled her father telling her to be extra attentive to the prince if he did visit. Asami hadn’t taken it to heart, thinking that high ranking persons such as him wouldn’t want to soil their hands doing this kind of work. She was very wrong, apparently._

_Asami turned her head to the side to look at Mako and Iroh. Iroh seemed to be oblivious to any discomfort from Mako, the latter shooting the former nervous glances. Asami slowed her pace, just enough to walk abreast of the prince. She queried. “What sparked your interest in hunting, Iroh?”_

_Iroh took a second to ponder on the question, chewing his lip thoughtfully. “I remembered hearing a story about it a few months ago, from my father. I’ve had it on my mind since then. Mr. Sato’s retellings have only made hunting sound that much more appealing to me.” Iroh glanced at Asami through the corner of his eye. “How about you? Following in your father’s footsteps?”_

_The question was innocent enough. The answer to it? Not so much. “Something like that.” She replied, searching for a different topic to discuss._

_The different topic came in the form of double doors at the end of the hallway. The three stopped, each of them grabbing coats from the hangar to their left. Mako addressed the prince while slipping his arms through the coat. “Just to be clear, you have no experience on this, right?”_

_Iroh responded, fiddling with the cuffs on his sleeves. “Zero. None whatsoever.”_

_Mako wrapped his scarf a little tighter around his neck, reaching with his other hand for the door handle. “I hope you don’t expect this to be easy, Iroh.”_

_Iroh smiled good-naturedly. “Not at all. I think it might be quite the opposite, in fact.”_

_Mako pushed open the door, cold flooded the hallway and stung any exposed skin. “Once you get the hang of it, it actually gets pretty fun.”_

_They stepped outside. Asami took the lead once again, letting Mako and Iroh have their conversation. She sauntered down the steps, her boots crunching the snow beneath her feet. She strode to the left side of the house, where the range lay, idle chatter trailed closely behind her._

_The three approached a small shed, with tables strewn about underneath it and a large area next to it, barren except for wooden targets strewn across its surface. A stocky man stood under the shed as well, laying weapons on a table._

_Asami stopped under the shed, just behind the busy man. He continued inspecting a crossbow methodically, mumbling under his breath. “Bo?”_

_Bolin looked up from the weapon in his hands, his eyebrows raising. A lopsided grin replaced his brief confusion upon seeing the woman. “Didn’t expect you guys here so soon. Is your father’s throat sore or something?”_

_Asami allowed herself a tiny smile at the reminder of just how talkative her father could be sometimes. “Surprisingly, he wanted Iroh to be here as soon as possible.” She reached over, picking up a revolver from the table. “And now I need to teach him.” Asami pursed her lips, pushing the chamber open and knocking out the bullets from it._

_Bolin looked at Asami incredulously. “And you’re not excited about that? How many people do you know get visited by a Prince, Asami” Bolin waved an arm dramatically in Iroh’s direction._

_“I’d like to know someone else.” Asami murmured. She left Bolin, returning to Iroh and Mako with the revolver in tow._

_Iroh looked at Asami, then at the gun she held up. “This,” She stated. “is your standard revolver. It’s got a rotating chamber with space for six silver bullets.” Asami gently closed the chamber, holding the nozzle and resting the grip in Iroh’s palm. Iroh examined the gun, bringing it close to his face and turning it about. He accidentally pointed the gun at his face while trying to look at one of the slots._

_“Number one rule of gun safety,” Asami pushed the nozzle away from his face. “don’t point your gun at anyone unless you intend to pull the trigger. Ever.” Iroh nodded, pointing the gun to the ground._

_“As i’m sure you’ve heard, guns are not toys. They’re weapons meant to kill. You must always treat them so. Now, right-handed or left-handed?” Asami asked._

_“Right-handed.” Iroh responded. Asami looked to Bolin, reaching out a hand for a revolver of her own. He flicked the safety on and tossed it to her. She caught it and turned back to Iroh. “Grip in your right hand.” Asami placed the gun in her right palm for Iroh to observe. He mimicked her. “Left palm over your right hand’s fingers. And move your thumb or else you’ll get burnt by exhaust from the shot. Perfect.”_

_Iroh held the gun in his hands just as Asami had instructed. She flicked her finger back and forth between two pieces of her own gun. “See these two? These are your sights. You line them up over your target,” Asami aimed at a wooden board down the range. “like this.”_

_Iroh copied her, his wrists and elbows a little too stiff. Asami touched the inside of an arm. “Loosen your arms and wrists. You’re gonna hurt yourself if you fire a gun like that. Now, is your shot buried?”_

_Iroh tilted his head to the side, and his eyebrows scrunched up. “What? ‘Buried’?”_

_Asami nodded. “Yeah. You have to make sure there’s nothing behind your target before you shoot. Once you do that, your shot is considered ‘buried’. So, is your shot buried?”_

_Iroh looked back at his target and nodded. Asami laid a hand on his shoulder. “Now, gently squeeze the trigger.”_

_Iroh stiffened, right before he pulled the trigger, as if he expected an actual bullet to fly out. A small click was heard, and he sighed, shoulders drooped slightly. She patted his shoulder. “Great. Now get accustomed to pulling that trigger. And try not to let go so fast. Pull back smoothly, let go smoothly.”_

_More clicks were heard, as Iroh practised with the gun. Asami shifted into a proper stance a pace away from him. “Observe closely, Iroh.”_

_Asami lifted her gun to aim at the farthest target down the range and pulled the trigger in one fluid and seasoned movement. The air under the shed lit up for the briefest of seconds, and the shot rang out a little too loudly for the prince, who jumped at the noise. Asami bit the inside of her cheek to stop from laughing at that. “You should get accustomed to that too.” She smirked._

_Iroh pursed his lips and nodded, and looked back to the range. The target Asami shot quivered for a few seconds, a small black hole shot straight through the dead centre. Mako narrowed his eyes at the woman, and his look said one thing:_

_Show off._

_Asami made a small, innocent shrug at his glare, and fought the smile that wanted to surface. She glanced at Iroh, who had settled back into a shooting stance and was occupied with his own gun. Asami approached him, and offered her gun. “How about you try this one now?”_

_The prince looked from the gun she held to her, then back to the gun. He took it, placing his gun in her other hand. He aimed down the range, a noticeable extra weight in the weapon._

_“If the recoil is too much, just let it fly over your head.” Asami instructed, and she stepped back. Iroh licked his lips, focusing on keeping the gun from wavering in his grip._

_BANG!_

_“Agh!”_

_Iroh staggered back a few paces, clutching his face in his hands. The gun sailed to the ground, free of his grip, but thankfully didn’t go off as it hit the ground. Asami’s jaw dropped, a little bewildered at what just happened. Both her and Mako rushed up to him, and the latter pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket. “I told you to let it go over your head!” She scolded. Iroh was doubled over, and a small line of blood trickled out of his fingers. He straightened up, and Asami removed his hands. His nose was bloody and bashed in, the beginnings of a gun-shaped bruise apparent on his forehead. He groaned, low and painful, and tried his best to breathe through his mouth. Asami shook her head disapprovingly, as Mako laid the cloth over Iroh’s nose. “Why did you try to hold it steady? You’ve never fired a gun before, what made you so sure you could stand the recoil?” She reprimanded._

_“You made it look so easy.” He whined, as Mako ushered him to a seat. Bolin had already disappeared to find help for the bleeding prince._

_Asami shook her head again, upset with the prince, but upset with herself as well. Their first lessons for royalty, and Asami managed to make Iroh hurt himself. How was the rest of the monarchy going to take this?_

_The beginnings of worry made themselves apparent in Asami’s gut, as she looked at Mako tend to the pained prince._

_Asami had one long evening ahead of her._

_********************************************************************************************************_

 Korra chased after the City man, who rudely shouldered past others in his haste to make it to the prisons. He stumbled for a second, tripping over something hidden by the snow. He continued on, as if nothing happened. He forced open the heavy double doors, and probably startled the guard on duty inside. Korra followed.

 Iroh scanned each cell, his face more worrisome after passing each one not containing the female prisoner. He stopped at the second to last one, frozen for a second before he lunged for the bars. “Asami!” He exclaimed.

 Korra caught up to Iroh, and stood behind him. Asami crawled off her cot unsurely, frowning at the man in front of her. He didn’t give her a chance to speak.

 “I can’t believe you’re here. You must’ve been out on your first hunt. I thought that-”

 “Who are you?” She interrupted. Iroh seemed a little hurt by that.

 “Can’t you recognize me? It’s Iroh.”

 More confusion  covered her features, before realization set in. Korra was surprised that the girl could get more pale than she already was. She backed up slowly, the back of her knees greeting the bed. She fell on it, and a hand reached up to cover her mouth. She looked like she was seeing a ghost. “No. She breathed.

 “Yes.” Iroh smiled fondly at the scared prisoner. “I’m right here, unharmed and safe.” He shook the bars of the cell door, and frowned when they didn’t give way. He turned to the guard he surprised. “Pass me the keys.” He insisted.

 “Stay right there Iroh.” Asami snapped. She slouched, and cradled her middle. Iroh blinked, stunned at the cold words, and stepped back. “...alright.” He responded, the hurt clear in his voice.

 Asami was experiencing many emotions, and it was shown in the way her eyebrows drew together and her bottom lip quivered. “Why didn’t you come back?” Her voice wavered, weighed down with betrayal.

 “That’s a long story.” Iroh sighed. “The Chief wouldn’t let me, to start off.”

 “You were alive,” Asami began. “and you didn’t come back.”

 “It’s not like I didn’t want to, Asami.” He placated. It did nothing to help.

 “You were gone for so long that everyone thinks you’re dead, Iroh!” She yelled, hurt and bitter. “I cried myself to sleep the first few nights you disappeared. I blamed myself for getting you killed. I thought you were ready.” She lamented. “But you’re alive, and you didn’t come back!” She snapped.

 Korra began backing away, once she realized how personal the conversation was becoming. She walked to the doors quietly and slid outside with a fiery quarrel to her back. She started on a path the Chief’s hut, an urgent message to be delivered. Several people tried to stop her, to ask about the prisoners. She waved them off and told them she couldn’t talk then.

 Korra reached her father’s tent and pushed open the flap without any regards for the meeting inside. Tonraq and the elder he was talking to glared at the intruder, but Korra didn’t allow them to speak.

 “‘Sorry to disturb you Chief, but I need to tell you something important.”

 Tonraq turned to the elder, who mumbled something about leaving. He stood and shuffled over to the entrance flap, his eyes narrowed at Korra the whole way. She paid him no mind.

 Korra sat down in front of her father. “‘It’s about the prisoners. I think you should judge them today.’”

 Her father sighed, and reached up a hand to rub his face. “‘This can wait, Korra. I have a few more pressing issues than prisoners to see about.’”

 Korra pushed on, unfazed. “‘The female is a Sato, dad. That can’t wait. She may have useful information.’”

 Tonraq frowned at the mention of the name. “‘The prisoners aren’t going anywhere, Ko-’”

 “‘Before Eska and Desna find out for themselves.’”

 Tonraq pursed his lips in thought, before he pinched the bridge of his nose. “‘I haven’t even had breakfast yet.’” He muttered. “‘Go on.’” He sighed. “‘Round them up.’”

 Korra nodded. She stood up and exited the hut, and called a young man that stood on guard at the entrance. She hadn’t seen him when coming to the hut.

 “‘Get the rest of my group, along with Kanna, and go to the Prisons. The trial is today.’” She ordered. He nodded, and trotted off to find the requested persons. Korra proceeded to the Prisons again.

 Korra cracked open the door and peered inside cautiously. The hall was so quiet that she could hear Iroh’s breathing from where he sat in front of Asami’s cell. He held his face in his hands, his broad shoulders slumped inwards so he looked like someone who had just heard about a loved one’s death.

 Korra stepped inside and closed the door behind her. She headed for a cabinet on the wall to her left and opened it up to reveal bulky, iron handcuffs. She grabbed seven and bundled them in an arm, and walked towards Iroh.

 Iroh had a salty scent that hung over him like a cloak, and he moved his hands from his face to look at Korra. His eyes were red and puffy, and a little moist as well. Korra had never seen Iroh like this, so torn and fragile. This Asami person must have meant a lot to him.

 Korra laid the cuffs on the table, and picked up one for herself. “‘Gather all the prisoners. We’re taking them to the Council.’” Korra proceeded to Asami’s cell, with the intention of avoiding another fight between the two. She could almost taste Iroh’s jealousy in the air, her back to him as she unlocked the cell. Nevertheless, he picked up a cuff and proceeded to the broody hunter’s cell.

 Korra stepped inside. She approached Asami, who lay curled up in a ball facing away from her. She shook the hunter’s shoulder with a gentleness that was unwarranted. “Get up.” She instructed. The female hunter stiffened under her touch, and then Korra remembered her wound. She retracted her hand, and instead focused on the handcuffs.

 Asami turned over and placed her feet on the floor. She offered her wrists to Korra without looking up. Asami was wordlessly cuffed, brought to stand, and marched out of the cell.

 Three men and a young teenaged girl entered the Prisons, and each grabbed their own cuff, and the teenager approached Korra.

 “‘Kanna.’” She greeted warmly. The young girl smiled back at her. One of the girl’s arms was bandaged around the bicep, and it hung useless at her side.

“‘Korra.’” She grinned.

 “‘How is your arm?’” Korra queried. Kanna shrugged, and placed a hand over the bandage.

“‘I’m alright for now. Katara’s herbs are taking care of the pain.’” Kanna’s eyes trailed up to the woman with pale skin and black hair. Happiness was replaced with a large mixture of emotions, the most prominent one being fear. Kanna swallowed, and her back stiffened. She was doing her best to face the hunter who almost killed her last night with bravery, but it was proving a futile feat. Korra knew how much Kanna wanted to join her scouting group, since the young girl had been pestering Korra about it for three years. But last night’s full moon proved to show Kanna just how dangerous and scary the business was. Korra just hoped it hadn’t changed the girl’s mind.

 “How does it feel to know you tried to kill someone as young as me, hunter?” Kanna asked Asami. Her english was surely getting better, Korra noted.

 Asami looked at Kanna with indifferent eyes. She coldly responded to the young girl. “What does your age matter?”

 Kanna visibly wilted at this, and she stepped back from the hunter. Korra frowned, before she tightened her grip on Asami’s cuffs. “No more talking.” Korra commanded. She turned to the other guards and group members. “‘Are we ready?’”

 The guards nodded, then organized the prisoners in a neat line. They were marched outside.

 Out in the open and free to be observed by other tribe members, the hunters received a variety of looks ranging from fearful side glances to hatred-saturated glares. Young ones appeared at the their tent flaps, only to be pulled back inside by their mothers. Other men drilled holes into the captives with their eyes and spat venomous promises of pain-filled deaths. The prisoners understood not a word of it.

 Kanna raised her head to look at Korra with a mixture of regret and shame. “‘It was such a bad idea to go outside last night. I should have listened to father and chained myself to the bed or-’”

 “‘Kanna.’” Korra interrupted. “‘Stop. Maybe it was a bad choice to shift, but you had almost no control over it. The pull is hardest to resist at your age. Even I wasn’t that good at ignoring it.’” She confessed.

 The teenager arched an eyebrow. “‘When did you first shift, Korra?’”

 “‘I was twelve when I first shifted. I was so eager to be in my wolf form that the first time I felt it, I let myself shift and run away. It’s how my father got his favorite scar.’” Korra recalled fondly. The regret and shame on Kanna’s features was replaced with a little smile as she tried to envision Korra doing something so brash. “‘Even people like me succumb to the pull eventually.’”

 Kanna felt comforted by Korra’s story and reassurances. “‘It’s good to know that, Korra.’” She gave the woman a lopsided grin. Korra smiled back.

 At the front of the line, Korra heard Iroh and the broody hunter talk. Well, more like the broody one hissed at a mostly silent Iroh. He told Iroh about how lucky the Satos were that his royal family hadn’t sent any spies to cut Hiroshi’s throat open for losing their prince. Iroh didn’t bother defending himself from the accusations the broody hunter tossed at him.

 They reached their destination. Guards at the entrance of the wide and tall hut pulled back the tent flaps for the prisoners to enter. Inside, opposite to the entrance, sat Tonraq in a seat higher than the rest. Council members and elders formed a semicircle of seats, Korra’s cousins Eska and Desna seated on either side of her father.

 The prisoners were forced to kneel by not-too-kind boots to the back of their legs. Men and women, both young and old, gazed at the City People with looks of indifference, disgust and mild curiosity.

 Korra could sense the bewilderment and shock from Eska and Desna, that slowly evolved into a boiling and festering rage that simmered just beneath their skin. They glared daggers at Asami as they sniffed the air.

 “‘It’s Sato’s offspring.’” Eska glowered, as her and her brother’s frames turned rigid.

 “‘Yes.’” Tonraq confirmed. He sat up in his chair.

 “Hunters.” Tonraq looked each individual in the eye, and settled on the defiant look of the female hunter. “Welcome to our tribe. Today, you will be judged for the crime of attempted murder of Kanna, daughter of Kiro.” Tonraq looked to Korra. “Can you recall the events that transpired, Korra?”

 Korra cleared her throat, and spoke. “Yes Chief, I can. Just an hour after midnight, my group and I were making a patrol run, as usual. We noticed the scent of blood, and heard a scream. Upon tracking the source of the noise, we found Kanna, who was being hunted by these seven. We engaged in combat, disarmed and defeated the group with minor injury. We brought them back here, as protocol dictated. We also offered medical assistance to those who were willing.”

 A few elders were eyeing the brown pelt that Asami wore, but they didn’t voice it. Tonraq spoke again. “What were some of the injuries obtained, Korra?”

 One of the guards, who had a bandage on his jaw, spoke up. “I was one of the injured, Chief. I was shot with a crossbow in the jaw, though the damage is mostly healed. He shot me.”

 The guard pointed at the broody one, who just stared at the ground. Tonraq tilted his head to the side, and addressed the prisoner. “Is that so?”

 The prisoner only glared at Tonraq. He received a boot to the stomach, and doubled over with a wheeze. “Speak when you are being spoken to!” The guard snapped.

 Mako only gritted his teeth, before he spat out. “Yes! I shot him.”

 Tonraq turned to the other council members, “Given this information, what punishment shall they receive, council?”

 Everyone began murmuring among themselves. Korra heard quite a number of suggestions of executions, but an equal number of sentences to manual labor. The council members were split between proper and biased judgement.

 Tonraq lifted his hand for silence. The murmurs fell. He asked. “Has the council any suggestions?”

 An old, graying man spoke up. “I propose we execute the hunters for trying to kill our own.” He didn’t try to hide the malice in his voice.

 “I suggest we send them to work on the cliffs.” Another one voiced.

 “I wish to see them killed, Chief.” Desna’s comment was filled with ice and venom. “Especially the Sato offspring.”

 Asami tried her best not to squirm under the scrutiny of the twins.

 Several other council members began to talk, their opinions on how to handle the matter varying only slightly from the first two suggestions. People began to bicker with each other over which decision was better, and soon a small ruckus ensued.

 Tonraq cast his eyes about the room with annoyance. He boomed, loud enough to overpower everyone else. “‘Enough!’”

 The room fell silent as the Chief contemplated his choices. His gaze flicked from hunter to hunter, and then to Korra. Korra could only look back at him with a small nod. She trusted her father’s judgement.

 Tonraq took a deep breath, and let it out through his nose in one big sigh. “The hunters,” He began. The council waited with bated breath. “are sentenced to manual labor at the cliffs.”

 Cries of protests rang out from a small portion of the various members. Tonraq spoke over them. “They are to begin their punishments at noon.”

 The guards ordered the prisoners to stand, and lined them up to exit the hut. Tonraq called out to his daughter. “‘Korra, wait.’”

 Korra turned to her father. “‘What is it, Chief?’”

 Tonraq stood, and Eska and Desna stood with him. Tonraq moved towards the female prisoner, who was confused as to why she wasn’t being put in the line. “‘ We’re taking the Sato girl somewhere else.’” He instructed. He walked to the entrance flap.

 Korra guided Asami to follow Tonraq. The twins moved to follow him as well, but were stopped by the Chief. “‘Just Korra and I are to go. You two can see to the other prisoners, if you want.’”

 The twins frowned, confused. “‘ You are taking her to receive special punishment, are you not, Chief?’” Asked Eska.

 Tonraq shook his head. “‘ No, she won’t receive special punishment. It’s just a simple interrogation.’”

 The twin’s eyes lit up for a brief second. “‘ Are you going to father’s torture room?’”

 “‘Yes, I am.’”

 “‘Will you use any of the old torture devices?’”

 The chief frowned at his niece and nephew’s question. “‘No, i’m not going to use any of Unalaq’s devices. The room will only be used to intimidate her.’”

 Eska stepped in front of her brother, her voice raised from its usual monotone. “‘The Satos deserve every bit of pain we can give them.’”

 “‘Stop right there.’” Tonraq’s voice was a low growl he rarely used on anyone. “‘We are not hunters. I will not stoop to hurting for plain amusement, or just because you ‘think’ they deserve it. Believe me, I hate the Satos just as much as you do, but she is not Hiroshi. She’s just another hunter with close relations to him.’” Tonraq squared his shoulders. “‘If we do find the Sato responsible for your father’s murder, I will allow you to do whatever you desire with him, I promise. This one,’” He pointed to Asami. “‘is in our hands.’”

 With that, Korra and Tonraq left the twins with their prisoner in tow. Asami spoke up. “Where are you taking me?” She demanded. “What were you saying about my father?”

 “We’re taking you somewhere special.” Korra answered. “And in our tribe, your father’s name is synonymous with certain death. He’s developed quite the image for himself, over the years. Why the sudden disappearance?” She queried.

 “It’s none of your business.” Asami spat.

 “You’ll do well to remember that you’re the prisoner here, Sato.” Korra glared at the hunter. She didn’t wither under the harsh look.

 The three reached a hut covered in thick cloth of a darker than usual color. The entrance was adorned with bold red writing: No Entry Allowed. Tonraq opened the flap and led them inside.

 The room was dark, the only lighting coming from small torches scattered about the room. The room offered just the slightest bit of warmth from the outside snow, but it was still bone-chilling. Mainly because of how many odd machines lay on shelves and tables, as well as a few bulky chairs with harnesses on the legs and arms. Korra didn’t know how most of them even worked, but she’d heard enough inhuman screams to know that they were brutally painful. A chill ran down Korra’s spine upon remembering the darker days when Unalaq was around and in control.

 Asami nervously cast her eyes about the room. The more torture machines she saw, the more wild eyed and fearful she became. Korra could hear the racing heartbeat loud and clear from Asami’s chest.

 Tonraq grabbed Asami’s stiff arm and shoved her to the ground in front of a short chain fastened to the ground. The hunter tried to scramble away, in vain, as the chief only seized her handcuffs and linked the two metal pieces together with an audible ‘click’. She struggled against the bonds, tugging uselessly at them. They held fast against her naive hopes of breaking free.

 Tonraq fell to one knee in front of Asami, and she stilled uncertainly. “Like what you see?”

 A morbid question. It just made Asami shake. “What is this place?” Her voice was no more than a whisper.

 “This,” Tonraq stood and gestured about the room. “is my brother’s old torture room. He used it to get information from hunters.” He walked over to a shelf with knives of various curves and sharp edges. “Just as I could do to you.” He stated, and idly twisted a blade between his fingers.

 Asami shrank as if she wanted the ground to split open and swallow her up, to take her away from this nightmarish place. Tonraq continued, as he picked up a clamp from the shelf. “See this? Simple enough tool, but very efficient. I can pull out your nails, or your teeth. I’m sure you’d like to keep your teeth and nails, right?”

 She didn’t respond. Her bottom lip quivered. Tonraq picked up a thin metal piece with bi-pronged forks at each end and a strap attached to the middle. He held up the object for Asami to see. “This one is used to test endurance. I can strap it around your neck and put each end under your chin and on your sternum. I assure you that if you relax, you will be impaled.” He strutted about the room almost casually, as if he were just having a conversation with Asami about the weather rather than explaining brutal ways to hurt her.

 Tonraq walked up to an unlit brazier and pulled out the metal rod to examine. “I’m sure you’re feeling a little cold, Sato. It would be quite a waste to not use this.” He twirled the rod about with a sigh.

 Korra frowned. For a man who didn’t like torture one bit, he seemed to be enjoying describing these tools to his prisoner. Korra knew all of this was bluff, that much was true. Apparently he had been practising his acting skills recently, because Asami seemed fully convinced that Tonraq would torture her any second now.

 Honestly, Korra didn’t see a good reason for this horror show. It just served to reinforce the hunter’s opinion on how cold and barbaric shifters were perceived to be. “‘Dad.’” She cut in.

 Tonraq stopped his detailed explanation of Dai Li water torture to look at Korra. “‘Just get to the chase. Show her the serum.’”

 The chief pursed his lips, and stuck a hand into his jacket to produce a small vial full of a clear liquid. He held it between his index finger and thumb. “To avoid all of those devices, you can just take this. It’s a special sedative from the Western Nation that alters higher cognitive functions. Call it a ‘truth’ serum, if you want to. Answers will come out of your mouth before you can stop them.”

 Asami eyed the bottle with distrust. “Doesn’t that have bad side effects?”

 Tonraq’s eyes lit up. “So you’ve heard of this before. Yes, it does. Nothing that you can’t handle. Just some blurry vision, dizziness, loss of proper coordination and hallucinations. Nothing serious.” He mentioned in an off-handed manner. Asami swallowed.

 Tonraq knelt in front of Asami and adopted a serious tone once again. “This is your choice, hunter. You can either take this and forget about the torture, or refuse the serum and experience pain like never before.”

 Despite the obvious fear, Asami’s eyes held some underlying glint of defiance. Like a fiery will to fight her captors against all odds. Korra didn’t understand why she hadn’t just taken the serum as yet. It would have been so much easier on the two shifters and herself. Instead, Asami asked. “What if I don’t want to talk?”

 Tonraq scoffed. “That’s not an option, Sato. You will give me answers, one way or another.”

 Korra rolled her eyes. Most likely, they were going to continue like this all day if Asami didn’t let up. Korra pushed her father aside. “‘Let me handle this, dad.’”

 The chief moved from his spot with a huff. “‘I can do this if you give me a minute, Korra’”

 “‘No you can’t.’” She stated, then folded her legs beneath her. She closed her eyes, and breathed in and out with even breaths.

 Tonraq raised an eyebrow at his daughter. “‘I thought you hadn’t mastered the hypnotism as yet.’”

 “‘It’s true.’” She replied, her knuckles touching each other in front of her chest. “‘Now is as good a time as any to practice.’”

 Her father folded his arms and nodded slowly. “‘If you say so.’”

 Korra focused. She tuned out her father’s shuffling and Asami’s breathing, as well as any other outside stimuli, like the crackle of the torches and their flickering flames. She focused on receding inside herself and bringing about the strong pull and entrancing feeling of her hypnotism abilities buried deep within. She felt the almost overwhelming and controlling power flood through her in a rush. It settled itself in the tips of her fingers and toes, and in her eyes in the form of an electric neon glow behind her eyelids.

 “How-” Asami didn’t get to finish her sentence. Korra opened her eyes and locked gazes with the hunter’s light green orbs. The tenseness fled Asami’s shoulders, her irises became nothing more than rings around her dilated pupils and her jaw went slack. Korra breathed before speaking.

 “You will obey all my instructions.”

 “I will obey all your instructions.” Asami’s speech was nothing more than a dull drone.

 “You will answer all of our questions.”

 “I will answer all of your questions.”

 A sudden unexpected throb like a pounding hammer pulsed at her temples. She almost swore as her vision flickered and Asami twitched. As per usual, no more than ten seconds into using her special ability and the beginnings of a powerful headache started up in her head. No matter how hard she tried, or how hard she focused, the headache would always happen. Korra gritted her teeth. Maybe she would have to trust her father to get all the information from the hunter.

 “You will drink the serum.”

 “I will drink the serum.”

 Korra finally broke her concentration. She snapped her eyes shut. The glow faded out and the thrum in her veins slowly receded. She groaned, as the pounding in her head increased in what felt like tenfold.

 Asami blinked owlishly, dazed and out of sorts. She shook her head as if trying to clear away her confusion. “What in the world…” She mumbled, and rubbed her eyes.

 Tonraq reached forward and held out the serum to Asami. The hunter watched on, horrified and baffled, as her hands moved with a will of their own and plucked the vial from the chief’s hand. She pulled out the cork with an audible ‘pop’, and brought it to her lips. The hunter drained the contents, grimacing, then dropped the fragile glass. It shattered all too loudly for Korra’s now sensitive ears.

“What did you do to me?” Asami croaked as her hands flew to her burning throat.

 Korra rose to her feet unsteadily. “Something special.” She muttered.

 In ten minutes’ time, the serum would kick in at full force. Asami would have all the things that the chief wanted to know spilling out of her mouth like a broken faucet. Korra was just mad at herself for not lasting longer than she did.

Korra settled herself in one of the torture chairs. All that was left to do now was wait for the serum to work. Then they would have the vital information they needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment of any and all thoughts so far on this fic. Or to just yell at me for taking so damn long to write. Authors enjoy feedback more than anything else, so keep this one motivated to keep writing by making a comment!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO DAMN SORRY for making you guys wait this long. Life was hellbent on distracting me, you see.   
> I swear i'm gonna try and update more often. Enjoy chapter five you guys. I'm sleep deprived.

 Asami coughed. She held her throat as the serum scratched its way down her esophagus and settled in her stomach against her will. As she grabbed at her pale neck, she realized how bare she felt without the familiar weight of her silver necklace, despite the thick clothes on her. 

 There was also something else that Asami couldn’t comprehend. She couldn’t understand what the hell just happened to her. The shifter just sat down in front of her and she completely blanked out. The next thing Asami knew was that her hand had gotten a mind of its own and her mouth consented to letting the serum past her lips. 

 And cyan. An electric blue that glowed on the backdrop of her dark skin. Asami couldn’t get it out of her head. 

 Asami was sweating. It was only a matter of time until the serum started to work. She was minutes away from handing the shifters all sorts of information. She didn’t know what they wanted specifically; maybe the numbers of their hunters. Or any future plans for the industry. They would find out about the new darts. 

 If she ever managed to make it out of here alive, she would be labelled a traitor. 

 So the minutes passed. Tonraq stood to Asami’s right, silent and stone faced. Kora slouched in a chair and rubbed her temples in circles. Asami built up defenses on the foundation weakened by poison. It was all she could do to keep up the pretense that she wasn’t going to break to the shifters.

 Asami stared at the ground in front of her. It wasn’t special; it just held boot shaped imprints from the chief’s pacing. But as Asami looked closer, she realized there was something strange about it.

 It moved. Unrealistically and sluggishly it warped into a deformity of its original shape. 

 Asami blinked and shook her head. The minute movement caused her to shoot a hand out to balance herself. 

 The chief spared her a side glance. “Feeling okay?”

 Asami gritted her teeth. “I’m not.” She snapped.

 The hunter froze.What she was thinking of saying was completely different from what she just said. She meant to snap that she was fine, not that she wasn’t. The revelation of how much control the serum had over her was terrifying, to say the least. 

 Wordlessly, the chief turned to face her. He towered over her from where she was on the ground, an imposing figure. “Good. Now we can start.”

 Asami’s breathing rate picked up as he sat on the ground in front of her, like the previous shifter. She shut her eyes tightly and refused to look at him. His resonating voice commanded. “Look at me.”

 The hunter flinched as she opened her eyes and met steel grey too fast for her liking. “Now tell me,” The chief placed a hand on each knee. “how has the hunting industry been doing lately?”

 Asami gritted her teeth. There was no way she would do this. She couldn’t let a serum that renders higher cognitive functions useless hand the shifter answers on a silver platter. She just couldn’t.

 Her argument sounded petty and laughable even to herself. 

 “Fine.” Asami bit her tongue with as much force as she could manage which, for some reason, wasn’t hard enough. 

 “Give me some details.” The chief propped his head in a hand. “How many new recruits for the year? Increase or decline?”

 Asami scoffed. “Recruits? That’s what you call them? It’s just a hunting party. Y’know, ‘hey, wanna go to the south with me?’ ‘Heck yeah let’s head on down!’ Recruits?” Asami snorted. “C’mon, we aren’t the military.” 

 Tonraq just pursed his lips. “So how is Future Industries?”

 “Never been better.” Asami muttered dryly. “Our sales have been completely unaffected by Activists, somehow. You’d think that all of Tenzin’s campaigning would yield some results.” Asami glanced up at Tonraq’s steely eyes. “I still can’t believe there are people willing to defend you in Republic City, despite knowing so little of what you are.”

 “And what exactly are we, hunter?” 

 “Animals.” 

 Tonraq’s features turned cold, and despite the courage her defiance gave her, a chill crept down her spine. 

 “Give her five days, dad.” Korra spoke from behind her. The chief just collected himself with a sigh, and continued with his questions. 

 “Have you been working on any new weapons?” 

 Asami swallowed. “Yes.” She shook her head, and her sense of balance failed her once again. 

 “What is it?” He inquired. His hand retreated back to his side as she righted herself. “A new type of gun?”

 “I was working on a silencer for the rifles yesterday. And dad had a prototype of a sleep dart that still needs a lot of work.” Asami felt like bashing her head into the ground. 

 “A sleep dart?”

 “Something for our more fancy buyers. The Eastern Queen likes her meat fresh you see.” 

 Asami smiled at the chief’s unease, glad to have shaken him like that. If she was going to serve them answers she would make sure to add extra bite at least. 

 Asami closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, her vision was blurry. That, and everything she looked at was warped. Twisted, elongated, shrunk, nothing stayed the same. Not the contraptions, not the burly shifter, not her trembling hands. 

 Asami shut her eyes again. She tried taking even breaths. And when she opened her eyes again, she saw nothing. Just a vast, black emptiness consisting of herself, her chain and her cuff. 

 But no, she wasn’t alone. As she looked straight ahead, she saw someone. A woman, just like her, but older. This woman was battered and bruised, with her coat and skin torn and hanging open. Her eyes were gaunt, and almost looked like frozen, green colored ice. Her hair was matted with blood. Her mouth was parted ever so slightly, and her red coated chest heaved silent, ragged breaths. 

 Asami wasn’t just shaking; she quaked like fits had seized her body. This wasn’t right. Her mother’s body was in a grave, resting, not standing in front of her. This was very wrong. 

 “Asami?” Yasuko spoke, with scarlet liquid dripping out of her mouth like it did off the canines of the shifter that sunk its teeth into her. It was a voice Asami had missed for too many years. She’d almost forgotten its sweet, warm lilt, the motherly affection in her tone she kept close to her heart like a secret. On more than one occasion, she could only remember the shrills of agony mixed with her own cries of desperation. Asami felt like crying at the one utterance. 

 “You haven’t avenged me yet?”

 Asami fell. She fell as if the hand keeping her aloft had just carelessly let go of her and left gravity to pull her to the never ending abyss of black as her mother watched on with empty eyes. 

 Asami fell, but she didn’t hit anything. She was standing in the middle of a room filled with trim fur coats on old men with scarred skin, and they loomed over her like she was eight years old again. Their narrowed eyes and upturned noses were things of her distant memories; looks of low expectations. The whispers rang out loud and clear, each under their own breath.

 “What a disappointment.”

 “She’s wasted effort.”

 “Hiroshi raised a fool.” 

 The whispers didn’t stop. They intensified in their creativity and volume, until the mixed into an ugly cacophony of truths and predictions of her failures and shortcomings. Of their triumphs under the most dire of circumstances. Of her weakness and incompetence for not living up to their standards. 

 Asami hated it. She’d poured her blood, sweat and tears into disproving them. Years of hard work and surpassing benchmarks with the hideous background noise of negative hypotheses haunting her all the way, and it amounted to nothing more than a shameful loss that was her fault. 

 The burning smell of cigar smoke grabbed Asami’s throat and throttled her. She hated that as well. She’d smell it as they entered the room. It accompanied their tuts and tisks at whatever she was doing, followed by those godawful puffs of smoke. The smoke meant judgement. She  _ hated  _ the smoke. 

 So it choked her. The grey clouds blurred her vision and burned her eyes as the orange glows tinted their glares and she coughed and hacked so wildly. She fell to the ground, covered her mouth and still breathed in nothing but smoke. But just before her eyes rolled into the back of her head from lack of oxygen, a figure approached and crouched in front of her. Familiar, salt and pepper hair and gold framed glasses. 

 The look in her father’s eyes was unreadable; his emotions unclear if not for his words.

 “You are a failure.”

 Asami gasped. She inhaled crisp, cold air as if the smoke never existed. The snowflakes fell all along the white ground, dusted her cheeks and melted on the tip of her nose. She was in the playground. The one outside the estate, with more hiding places, like boulders and trees. 

 A gleeful little laugh filled the air. High pitched and so happy. The sound of compacted snow hitting bark instead of a body followed it. Another laugh; this one belonging to an older person. “You’ll have to try harder than that Asami!” A woman challenged. 

 “Stay still, mommy!” The little girl stooped to the ground to prepare another snowball. She worked diligently as her mother hid behind a rock. She rose to her feet and cast her eyes about eagerly for her larger target. The mother sprung out from her hiding place in her daughter’s momentary confusion. She threw her own snowball haphazardly, if as softly as she could. 

 The little girl caught the projectile with her stomach, and fell to the ground with an “oof!”. The playful atmosphere was ruined by the fall, and her mother rushed over. She reached out with tentative hands ready with consoling touches for the girl curled up on the ground. The mother gets a face-full of snow instead of a pained groan. She blinked, surprised, as her daughter burst into a fit of laughter. The mother shook her head disapprovingly with an amused chuckle.

 If Asami could ever pinpoint a moment in her life where she felt happiest, this would’ve been it. 

 And like all good things, it came to an end. 

 There was a series of noises, not too far away. Deep, echoing growls, loud footfalls, scratching, the thump of something heavy as it collided with another object. Then, a wolf. A very large one, with foam at its mouth and a chest that heaved ragged breaths, eyes that held only hunger and instinct, matted fur that stood on end. It directed a growl towards them. 

 Asami couldn’t believe it. She didn’t want to. She was reliving the worst day of her life in third person, just kneeling in the snow and watching a horror show she knew the ending to. She wanted to scream, move, do something,  _ anything _ , but it felt like her whole being was actively fighting against her. Asami was reduced to a raging mind caged by a frozen body. 

 It growled at them, hackles raised so it seemed taller. The air was thick with newfound fear, as the mother stood uncertainly. Her daughter stood behind her, coat held tightly by trembling fists. The combined thudding in their hearts was loud enough to hear, the racing thoughts in the mother’s head seen in the way her eyes flickered about their surroundings. No help. 

 So the mother reached behind and grabbed her daughter’s shoulder, urged her to slowly back away. Step by step, breath by bated breath, back to the mansion. And the wolf walked with them. It’s steps matched their own, paw by paw, huff by eager huff. The instinctual panic clung to them with an iron grip, only intensified by the starving look in its glazed eyes. 

 The wolf didn’t even give a warning. Its paws left the ground in favor of its prey. The mother barely had time to push her daughter out of harm’s way, and just a millisecond to hold up her arm so its jaws latched onto that instead of her face. Into the snow they went, a writhing mass of fur and limbs. A deafening scream that followed a sickening crunch. The sound of tearing fabric, breaking bones and pure agony filled the air where laughter once roamed so freely. 

 The little girl was just left there to witness. To see her beloved mother torn apart by yellow fangs, to look at that blood as it coated its muzzle. Unadulterated horror rooted her to the ground.  Held her still as red flowed freely onto the snow. Kept her from doing anything, as impossible as it seemed, to get the beast off her mother. 

 Then, gunfire. Louder than the screams and echoing. The wolf stopped, as if merely startled from its activity. Then more. Multiple shots all aimed towards the beast. Lighting up the area with bright bursts. The shots buried themselves all along the wolf, until it finally collapsed into the snow next to her mother. 

 Several men set their rifles at their sides. One dropped his and dashed to the blood soaked body. Her name fell ragged, fearful and broken off his tongue. Disbelieving- no,  _ unwilling _ to believe what he was seeing. 

 The little girl finally regained control of her own limbs. She stood with shaky knees and ran towards her mother and father as the former’s ripped chest heaved groans. 

 She didn’t even reach her mother’s side. Her father gestured to another man, who just went up to her and scooped her up. She screamed, kicked him and pounded his shoulder. She didn’t understand why she was being taken away. But the man just shook his head sadly. “No child should see their parent like that.”

 Asami collapsed face first into the snow. Her own verbal protests were held back from being let out. The sobs wracked her body, the cold and pain buried itself in her core. Despite having this nightmare so many times in her past, she was so unprepared for reliving it. It was just as vivid and heart wrenching as the first time. 

 She’d just wanted to play outside. 

********************************************************************************************************

 The hunter laid facedown on the ground. Tears fell to the dirt as her shoulders shook and the broken sound of crying permeated the room. Next to Korra, Tonraq scoffed. “‘We weren’t even ten minutes into the interrogation.’”

 Korra could feel a small amount of pity for the hunter. She had zoned off with this fearful look and refused to get out of her head no matter how much Tonraq snapped his fingers and shook her shoulders. Now she was crying. 

 “‘Well it wasn’t pointless.’” Korra pointed out. “‘We know they have new weapons now.’”

 Her father began pacing. “‘But what exactly are we supposed to do about that? Dart guns and silencers sound like trouble, and ideas of how to stop them aren’t really coming to mind.’”

 Korra placed a hand on his shoulder. “‘We can tell the rest of the council and sort it out there.’” She walked toward the hunter, whose sobbing had lessened slightly. “‘For now, I have a prisoner to carry back and a nap to take.’” 

 Tonraq hummed in agreement. “‘After last night, you earned it.’” He exited the hut, and left the two.

 Korra knelt down to remove the chain from the cuff and pull the hunter to her feet. Upon standing on her own shakily, she yanked her hands away with a slurred. “Hands off, Mako.” 

 “I’m not your friend.” Korra held the hunter’s arm to guide her out of the hut. She barely took a few steps before almost falling to the ground again. If not for Korra’s tight grip, she would’ve fallen. 

 “‘Dad didn’t lie when he said loss of coordination, did he?’” The shifter mumbled. 

 So they tried again. In just two steps, she wasn’t standing anymore. 

 Korra huffed irritably. They could spend all day doing this. And she wasn’t about to waste her time helping someone with the coordination of a newborn hobble back to the prisons. So what was the next best thing?

 To not make the hunter walk at all.

 Korra put an arm to the back of the Sato’s legs, one hand at her shoulder and brought her to a horizontal position. The hunter made a noise at being so suddenly moved. She batted and pushed feebly at Korra’s chest. “Put me down.” She groaned weakly.

 “No.” Korra deadpanned. She stepped outside. 

 Korra received an array of looks on her way to the prisons. They ranged from incredulous to disdainful, from confused to disapproving. She paid them no attention. She just wanted to get the hunter back to her cell. Sato’s protests died down eventually, though a frustrated look still adorned her features. She would have a couple more hours before the effects wore off. 

 The two finally reached the prison. Korra kicked the door a few times to grab the attention of the guard inside. She heard a little shuffling, then the door opened. She stepped inside. 

 Noon hadn’t arrived just yet, so the prisoners were still in their cells when Korra arrived. The broody one rushed up to Korra as she passed it. He grabbed the bars and stuck his head through. “What did you do to her!?” He growled. 

 “Who did you allow to bandage your chest?” She noted, and stepped into the empty cell next to his. 

 His angry expletives filled the air, but she ignored them. She walked over to the bed and set the hunter down, eager to be off to her own. But something stopped her. A hand, with the material of her shirt in its grip, held her down. Korra reached up to pry the fingers loose, a task that looked easier than it was. She stood straight.

 The hunter’s face was much different from just a few minutes ago. Her face wasn’t screwed up as if she was having a nightmare anymore. Her features were less tense, almost slack. Breaths flowed gently from her parted lips. An all-round peaceful aura coated her. It was the first time Korra was seeing her without some form of expression on her face. And, to be quite frank, she looked very beautiful this way. 

 After Korra realized her prolonged staring was starting to border on creepy, she stepped away and out of the cell. The brooding one was glaring her from one cell over still. She arched an eyebrow as she locked the cell. 

 “What did you do to her?” His voice wasn’t fiery like the last time he asked her. It was cold, instead.

 “Nothing you wouldn’t do to us.” With that, Korra makes her way out of the prisons. 

 On the way back to her hut, Korra can’t help but ponder on Sato. On what her brief impression of the tribe must have been. On what is going to happen to her in the following months. Sure, she will try to befriend all of them like she did Iroh, but she still has doubts. Of how long the whole ‘mutual trust’ thing will take, mostly. Korra had faith in herself on that. She was good with getting people to open up to her. The only thing she needed was time. They would come around eventually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't be afraid to leave me a comment and tell me what you think. :)

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even know what the hell i'm doing. It's half three and I just finished this. Comments, kudos and general feedback is very welcome. I might actually know what to do with this fic if I get those.


End file.
